As The Fire Dies
by dulscar
Summary: Justin loses Juliet and there's no chance of getting her back... Only her funeral remains.  Can Alex guide him out of darkness and into the light?  Dedicated to a friend.  JustinXAlex, but only as siblings.


As The Fire Dies

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A/N: This is dedicated to a close friend who is no longer with us...

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Disclaimer: Like all the rest... Don't own WoWP, characters, etc... yadda, yadda, yadda... here we go...

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Justin hasn't been the same for the past few days and his family was beginning to take notice. He was no longer vibrant and full of life like he once was... He'd stopped speaking anything more than short, polite answers to questions he was asked... His eyes were hollow and full of sadness when he bothered to make eye-contact with anyone... He spent most of his time hidden away in his room flipping through an old photo album he had with just the two of them in it.

Three days ago he had received a letter from the Van Heussen's... His beloved Juliet had passed on.

He knew this day was coming ever since that day in Transylvania when she lost her immortality at the hands of a werewolf and he'd prepared himself the best he could. He tried to put her out of his memory and get on with his life and after Harper and Alex's attempt to prod him in that direction, he thought he had.

The problem was that she was his first true love and, to this day, she remained his only true love. Secretly he'd maintained hope that they could be, that they _would_ be together again... after all, when all hope seemed lost, his sister, Alex, had gotten Mason back... the werewolf who'd caused all of this... but Justin didn't blame him, not anymore... it wouldn't help anything.

But it seemed like life wasn't done dealing out it's cruel blows and in one swift move, all hope he possessed was stripped away with a single letter. Now he keeps to himself, dealing with Juliet's death the only way he knows how... alone.

Alex is concerned with the welfare of her older brother more than the rest of her family... she knows him better than anyone does and while it's not in her nature to be overly concerned with anyone but herself, it _is_ in her nature to be overly concerned with _him_.

No one else in her family cares about her as much as he does, no one else had risked losing everything they held dear for her the way he did.

She tried to give him time, tried to give him space... she knew it was what he usually needed... but this time was different and she could feel it.

She entered his room without knocking, like she normally did, and saw him laying on his bed, a photo album spread across his chest and his arms crossed over his face, covering his eyes, clutching a letter in his hand.

Slowly, Alex made her way to his bed and sat down next to him. He knew she was there. Who else would it be? When he didn't move or acknowledge her presence, she placed her hand on his stomach and softly called out his name. "Justin?"

He moved his arms away from his face and looked up at his little sister. "Hey." He closed the photo album and set it to his side before asking "What are you doing here?"

She could see the pain in his eyes and she knew he was hurting, and it broke her heart to see him this way. "I'm worried about you." she told him truthfully.

Seeing the genuine concern on his sister's face, he offered her a weak and faltering smile. "I'm fine, Alex." he said, placing his hand over hers.

Alex sighed, knowing he was lying. "Justin, please... I know you're not okay. Please just let me help you."

Justin looked into her deep brown eyes and didn't see the usual mischievousness in them that meant he was being set up for something... He blinked a few times at her, considering her offer, before biting his bottom lip and carefully handing her the note he had received.

Alex took the note from him with her free hand and began reading the letter Juliet's parents had written him. They had told Justin that Juliet had returned to her family's ancestral home to live out her final days and that her final thoughts were of him.

She knew, now, why her older brother was so upset. She set the letter down on the nightstand near his bed and closed her eyes for a moment. Quietly, she leaned down to embrace her brother, trying to add some comfort to his sorrow. "I'm sorry, Justin."

He wrapped his arms around her back, squeezing lightly, grateful for her presence. "Thanks." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to avoid letting the tears fall that had been threatening since he had received the letter.

When he released his grasp, Alex pulled back and sat upright, placing her nervous hands in her lap. "So... is there like a funeral or something?" she asked. She knew what happened in the mortal realm but was unsure of vampire customs when one of their own passed.

Justin sat up and swung his legs around over the side of his bed so he was sitting next to Alex. "Yeah." he said, nodding his head to confirm.

"When is it?" Alex questioned, looking over at her brother, who was staring at the floor.

"Tomorrow." he answered sadly.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, intuitively sensing that he would go and say his final goodbyes.

He paused, thinking about it for a few seconds, before he shrugged. "Probably a few days."

"Okay. So... um... when are you leaving?" she asked.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, before answering, "Tonight."

"Okay." she replied standing up. She reached down and took his hand, pulling him to his feet, and hugged him again, whispering, "I'm sorry." one final time before leaving his room.

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A few hours later, Justin had a small bag packed for his trip. He had meticulously laid out the items he would need for his stay, carefully pressed his clothing, and laid out his suit for the funeral. He took his favorite photo of the two of them, looked longingly at it, smiled at the memory contained within, and tucked it into his pocket... a small momento he would hold in his mind forever.

Justin looked around his room, making sure he wouldn't leave anything behind and when he turned around, satisfied that he'd packed everything he needed, he saw his sister leaning against his door frame, a small bag of her own in hand.

"Alex?" he nearly shrieked, clutching at his chest, startled by her unexpected presence. "What are you doing here?"

Alex chuckled at him, "I'm coming with you, duh."

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Alex and Justin arrived at the Van Heussen family home in a puff of smoke three hours to midnight, just as the rest of vampire coven were beginning to awake. After a brief round of introductions, small talk, and shared memories of Juliet, the siblings headed out to dinner. They weren't being rude, and the Van Heussen's didn't interpret it as such, but humans couldn't find nourishment in the red liquid that vampires fed on.

Dinner between the two was quiet. Neither knowing what to say. Alex made fun of the wait staff when the opportunity presented inself in a feeble attempt to take Justin's mind off of the depression he must have been feeling... and it worked for a while until Justin scolded her for being rude.

The walk back to the Van Heussen estate was relatively short one through brisk night air but neither seemed to care at the moment... their minds were elsewhere. Upon arriving, they were offered the guest room, and Justin, being Justin, said he'd sleep on the floor, but Alex would have none of that. She told him that the bed was big enough for both of them to sleep in without it feeling weird. After a little persuading, Justin reluctantly agreed.

They were laying under the sheets staring at the ceiling in the gothic country manor when Alex spoke. "Justin, what does it feel like?... you know... when you lose someone you love?" she asked, her voice cutting through the darkness.

Justin rolled onto side to look at his sister, whose form he could barely make out in the meager moonlight that shone through the window. "It hurts, Alex. It feels like someone plunged a knife into my heart and they're twisting it for no other reason than their own amusement... just to watch it bleed." Alex could hear the sorrow in his softly spoken words and rolled onto her side as well to face him.

"How long do you think it lasts?" she asked him. She didn't know the answer... she wasn't sure she wanted to know... she just wanted to keep him talking... keep him from closing off.

"I don't know, Alex" he whispered. "I've heard that it can last days or even years but..." he began, a slight smile gracing his lips, "...but what _never_ dies is how they made you feel. It's like a raging fire at first, burning in the pit of your stomach, that slowly dies down to a glowing ember, keeping you warm, and their memory alive."

Alex reached out her hand to gently stroke his cheek, resisting the urge to call him 'dork', or an 'over-sensitive weenie', even though she found his sentiment to be beautiful, instead, she smiled at him, one he returned. Soon, mercifully, sleep took them both.

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The following morning, while the Van Heussen's had gone to bed in order to avoid the sun, the siblings headed out for breakfast. It was nothing fancy, just a simple affair, enough to tide them over until lunch. In the interim, they explored the vast Transylvanian country side, until Alex started complaining about the 'creepy-ness' of her surroundings, her aching feet, and the growling in her stomach that signaled it was lunch time.

At a small diner, Alex let Justin ramble on and on about the history of where they were, its formation, and foundation, the numerous occupations, and notable figures prominent in the region, both past and present. She didn't care about any of that but she let him go on because she saw the excitement returning to his eyes as he spoke. Only occasionally did she mutter 'nerd' just loud enough to hear when he stopped to take a breath.

They playfully argued for a moment, reveling at the sense of normalcy that such an act brought.

From that moment on, though, Justin grew more and more quiet as time marched on and the funeral hour drew near, so much so, that, by dinner, he barely spoke a word. Alex tried her best but nothing seemed to help him as he prepared to say his final goodbye.

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Finally the time had arrived and Justin looked more nervous and more depressed than ever. Dressed neatly in his sleek black suit, the picture of him and Juliet tucked safely in his breast pocket, he followed Juliet's family to her resting place, with Alex by his side.

Dressed in a stylish black dress, she wrapped an arm around his, interlocking their elbows, she leaned toward him and whispered, "What's that?"

Justin looked up and saw the large stack of wood Alex was pointing at in the clearing they were walking into, having finally left the forested path, nestled in the mountains. "It's called a Funeral Pyre. It's a tradition that vampires have carried on even before the Romans began."

Alex looked around and all of the people carrying torches, assuming they were just there to light the way, and back to the pyre, with the white cloth wrapped body laying on top of it. "They're going to _burn_ her?" she asked a little to loudly, drawing looks from those nearby.

Justin nodded. "It's a form of cremation that's been carried on for thousands of years." He looked over at the confused look at his sister's face and sighed. "It helps keep vampirism a secret and they believe it allows those who have passed to be with those who have gone before." Alex only nodded in understanding.

Once everyone had taken their seats Juliet's father and mother emerged from the crowd and proceeded toward their daughter. Her father was the first to speak. He tried to tell those gathered of his love for his only child, but sobs choked his words and he was unable to carry on, leaving it to his much stronger, but still devistated wife.

Justin tried not to listen to those who came up to speak once Juliet's parents had finished... he knew he wouldn't be able to remain strong if he did. Little did he know that Alex was doing the same.

Once those who decided to speak had spoken, the time came for everyone to proceed by the pyre and say their final goodbyes. Justin stood on shaking legs until Alex grabbed his arm to steady him. "Thank you, Alex, but..." he said, fighting back tears through his cracking voice, "...I need to do this alone." Alex's bottom lip began to quiver, not wanting him to have to do this by himself, but nodded and returned to her seat.

She watched her brother proceed slowly to his lost love and stop infront of her linen wrapped body. With a shaking hand, he removed the picture from his pocket, placing a tender kiss upon her image, before whispering, "I'll miss you, Juliet." and tucking the picture beneath her head.

Then, and only then, did Alex allow her tears for her brother's loss to silently stream down her face. Juliet was her friend, too, but she couldn't imagine what he was going through.

Alex quickly wiped her eyes before Justin returned, feeling the need to maintain the facade of strength, if only for his sake, and her eyes scanned his face as he sat down. The look she saw there nearly brought her tears again, but she closed her eyes tightly to fight them off.

No one spoke as the procession of torches made their way to the pyre. Once the torched touched the pyre, the oil coated wood caught quickly and the fire crackled to life. Growing larger and larger, it lit the surrounding trees in the clearing in an eerie orange glow and sent it's light cascading up the mountain side.

The fire crackled and popped as flames danced wildly into the cool dark night, consuming the remains of Juliet. As Justin watched, the ash and glowing embers emitted by the fire floated skyward, each carrying a piece of Juliet away from this life and into the next, he finally let the tears he's been holding back for days slip from his eyes.

Alex wrapped her arm around his again and laid her head onto his shoulder, the moisture, having returned to her deep brown orbs, now falling.

Slowly people began making their way back to their homes, letting the fire burn on. Soon, noone was left but two... only Justin and Alex... bathed in the warm fire light.

Justin looked down at his sister, "It's getting late, Alex, you should go home." Alex shook her head on his shoulder and squeezed his arm tighter. "No. I'm not leaving without you... not here... not like this."

She looked up into his eyes when she heard him sniffle softly and saw the small smile he was giving her. She smiled back at him until a sudden chill crept through her, causing her to shiver. "Here." he said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders, "You're cold." Alex nodded, pulling his jacket tighter, "Thanks." she said, returning her head to his shoulder.

"And thank you." he whispered. She was quiet for a second before asking, "For what?"

"For not making fun of me or teasing me... through all of this."

Alex furrowed her brow and looked up at him seeing how thankful he was that she didn't poke and prod him like she normally did. "It wasn't what you needed then. It's not what you need now..." she told him, softly, but seriously. He could see the mischieviousness glint in her eyes as she smiled and said, "but later..."

He laughed and shook his head before wiping his eyes. "I'd expect nothing less." "Good!" she said, returning her head to his shoulder. She smiled when she felt his cheek pressing down into her hair. "And thank you." he said. "Huh? You already said-"

"Thank you for being here with me... and _for_ me. You don't know how much it means to me." Justin told her.

"Right now, there's no place else I'd rather be..." Alex said seriously, then teasingly added, "Face it... you need me." He chuckled against her, and shifted, placing his arm around her shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" Alex asked after a few moments.

"Not yet." Justin whispered. "But soon. Soon, I'll be ready to say goodbye... Soon I'll be ready to let her go... But for now, I'll keep watching the embers burn, I'll keep my own inside, embracing their warmth, and I'll keep her memory alive As The Fire Dies..."

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Ok, that's it... Peace Out


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